Arkansas state Sen. Jason Rapert (R) announced on social media Thursday that he has ordered legislation to be filed that mirrors Texas’s abortion “heartbeat” law.
“I look forward to working with my fellow legislators adding cosponsors and @AsaHutchinson to pass this important legislation before we adjourn the legislative session,” the lawmaker tweeted:
I look forward to working with my fellow legislators adding cosponsors and @AsaHutchinson to pass this important legislation before we adjourn the legislative session. #HeartbeatBill https://t.co/dhnFAyuQrk 2/2 #arpx #arleg
— Jason Rapert (@jasonrapert) September 2, 2021
Rapert’s remarks come after the Supreme Court late Wednesday declined to block the Texas law, which bans abortions following six weeks into pregnancy, in a 5-4 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the three liberal high court judges in dissent.
In addition to Arkansas, states such as Florida are looking closely at passing an abortion bill akin to Texas.
Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson (R) said Thursday “there is no question” the state’s legislature will consider abortion heartbeat legislation, WFLA reports.
“When the Supreme Court goes out and makes a decision like this, it clearly is going to send a signal to all the states that are interested in banning abortions or making it more restrictive to have an abortion in their state, it’s certainly going to make us take a look at those issues,” Simpson told the local news outlet on Thursday.
“What they did in Texas was interesting and I haven’t really been able to look enough into it,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said of the Texas bill. “I am going to look more significantly at it.”
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